California University of Pennsylvania

Today we visited California University of Pennsylvania in California, PA just south of Pittsburgh. Over 70 Parks & Recreation Management, Biology, and Environmental Science Majors attended our two workshops. The first workshop was a general awareness workshop intended for students to get a sense of Leave No Trace as a concept and organization. The second workshop was more in depth focusing on using Leave No Trace as a resource tool in resource management and its role in promoting stewardship of public lands.

Special thanks to Dr. John Confer for putting this day at Cal U. together.

All the best,

Agata and Jason

Bigfoot Sighting!

Our eyes did not deceive us! During a game of disc golf, or folf  (frisbee golf) as we heard the locals call it here in Missoula, we came upon the basket on hole 12 to find Bigfoot!  He was playing a solo game and he apparently has quite a bit of skill as he easily sunk this putt from twenty  feet away.  Bigfoot seemed a bit concerned about the trash, mostly cans and cigarette butts that littered the course.  As more and more people are getting out to recreate on our public lands, Bigfoot reminds us to Leave No Trace like he has been doing for years and to 'Pack it in, Pack it out'.  

Happy Adventuring...Kate and Tracy

Living Archeology Weekend in the Red River Gorge

Last Friday and Saturday, we visited the Gladie Cultural-Environmental Learning Center in the Daniel Boone National Forest to participate in the Living Archeology Weekend, which saw over 1,600 visitors over the two-day event. Since 1989, this annual event has been providing quality educational experiences for school children and the general public. Primitive technology experts, professional archaeologists and Native American tribal representatives presented and demonstrated how native and historic people lived in Red River Gorge.

The Red River Gorge was the first Hot Spot selected by the Center this year. A Leave No Trace Hot Spot is an area heavily impacted by recreational use. Through the Hot Spot program the Center aims to increase awareness on how to enjoy the outdoors responsibly and to reduce impacts on lands used by the public for recreation.

We had the opportunity to work alongside our Educational Programs Manager, Sarah Folzenlogen, throughout both days of the event. On Friday, the programs were open to only 5th grade school groups. In the photo above, 5th grade students are playing the role of "archaeologists" piecing the stories of various native peoples and wildlife together as a part of our sessions focusing on the Leave No Trace principle Leave What You Find.

On Saturday we were able to offer outreach to the general public and awareness workshops for small groups who were interested in learning more about how they can enjoy the outdoors in a responsible manner and preserve the history and heritage of the Red River Gorge.

A warm Thank You to Jessica Santangelo and all the staff whose hard work and passions enjoying the history of the Red River Gorge made this event possible.

All the best,

Jason and Agata

Spokane RIver Clean Up

Saturday September 25th marked National Public Lands Day. Team West spent the day in eastern Washington and took part in the 8th annual Spokane River Clean Up. Last year 8 tons of trash were hauled out of the river and surrounding areas. We have yet to receive the total amount of trash and recyclables removed this year, but we are feeling that the 400 locals that came to participate removed at least that much this year as they did last year! The pictures below show our efforts, with the help of Annie, to remove a tire that had likely been left in the woods years earlier.

When we finally unearthed the tire, metal rim still intact, we had to roll it up to the road, where the crews could come by and dispose of it properly. Whew, this was an exciting event to take part in! We were invited to participate by Washington State Advocate John Wilmot. A special thanks to John for inviting the Traveling Trainers to keep the Spokane River clean.

Happy Adventuring...Kate and Tracy

Picture of the Week 9/24/10

Fall Foliage in Central, WA

Beginning Backpacking at Miami University

On Wednesday September 22nd we visited with the Outdoor Pursuit Center at Miami University in Oxford, OH to talk about Leave No Trace Frontcountry practices. We met with a Beginning Backpacking class of about 20 students and program staff to discuss how considering the 7 principles of Leave No Trace promotes stewardship of public lands and responsible enjoyment of the outdoors. The students had plenty of personal experiences and opinions about outdoor ethics and were a pleasure to learn with during our time on campus.

A warm thank you to Jen Silica for hosting the Subaru Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers and we look forward visiting again in the future.

All the best,

Jason and Agata

School Outreach in Winthrop, WA

Happy first day of autumn! This week we visited seven classrooms, educating more than 200 students, in Winthrop, WA. Winthrop is a small town nestled in the Methow Valley in north central Washington, just outside of the Cascades Mountains. We were pleasantly surprised to see how connected these students are to their natural world. After reading "Last Child in the Woods" by Richard Louv, we learned that children, on average, spend approximately 30 hours a week in front of a screen- TV, video games, internet, cell phones etc. The students we worked with in Winthrop were not in that average by any means. They all shared with us how they rarely watch TV and spend the majority of their free time outdoors! It was such a pleasure to share our stories and experiences with this school district and to hear their stories as well! It is so critical for a child to spend time in the natural world and feel a strong connection with the nature. The Methow Valley School District does an excellent job of embracing this philosophy within their academic world. We learned about their community garden, their recycling and composting programs, and their outdoor trips that the students in this district are involved in. We were truly inspired by this visit and look forward to returning to Winthrop in the future!

Happy Adventuring...Kate & Tracy